Why are British kids fat?

[VogueVVague]

So time, two parents working, low budget/cost - all these things can result in ready meals being served up etc. but that still doesnt explain why, compared to the rest of Europe, our kids are the fattest.

So whats the reason?

Is it political?
Cultural?

Something must have changed for us and mot the rest of Europe in the past 50 years (doubt kids before 1960 were chunky).

I think the ready meal thing is wrong as reasoning for our obesity. Look at the calories - they're usually around 300/400. That's not going to make you fat.

People are far too afraid to let their kids play out and run around. It’s easier to supervise them at home playing on electronics and gadgets

Food mainly - I’m from continental Europe (don’t want to say where exactly) and two things I notice here are: (i) a lot less choice of reasonably priced fruit and vegetables (obviously in part climate related) and (ii) people just don’t cook and, like someone said upthread, people who cook feel like they need to do something fancy...so when they don’t have 45 mins to spend on a complicated dish, they’ll order or have fast food. Not ideal.
That being said, everyone is getting fatter, Europe too.

But if children are eating reasonably portioned healthy food at home then they shouldn't be fat

There was a news report this morning about children in yr 6- I think it said 1 in 5 are morbidly obese. The discussion was around what schools can do to sort this out.

Whilst I do think school has a place reinforcing ideas about healthy eating, exercise etc I think the emphasis has to be on what happens at home.
Talking about food is a start - about which things are good for which bit of the body, because most small children are fascinated by this. Then the evolution to a healthy diet is easy - I guess because eating is more conscious?

The Burgers in France and Spain did seem better quality and salads were on sale as standard ( not sure about now) the service stations had a better mix of healthy and non healthy - there isn’t much choice in U.K. service places - or they are really expensive so the fast food is more attractive as it’s cheaper option. Market forces again.

It's not just UK, in fact latest WHO stats suggest Greece, Italy, Spain are fatter, with obesity rates of over 40%
www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/24/the-mediterranean-diet-is-gone-regions-children-are-fattest-in-europe

I'd suggest it's largely a decline in physical activity for all of us. In the 50s, few women had access to a car, so all "school runs", shopping etc was done on foot - often walking several miles each day. Fewer automated tools (now many people had petrol or electric lawn mowers, no tumble driers etc) so everyday living required more physical effort and burnt more calories - these are changes that happened all across Europe.

It doesn't help that cheap food is usually extremely crappy food. Unfortunately with shops like Iceland selling lots of junky rubbish at bargain prices it will always be tempting for people to go for those even though making something healthy (like a lentil curry or something) could be even cheaper.

...because they eat too much junk food and don't do enough exercise.

It is really hard for parents because if they let their children play out or go on an errand alone, they are liable to be reported to social services. This is a fact.
In our local school park, there was a 'playsafe' officer with a secret identity who reports anyone who eg climbs a tree to the school,. Fact.

Sugar

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/24/the-mediterranean-diet-is-gone-regions-children-are-fattest-in-europe

I wouldn't be so sure it's a uniquely British problem

user1499173618 I know. Not only that, some of the other parents didn’t even know. One child had to have a filling at three years old and the dentist had told them to stop all “sticky” sugary food because of decay. They had stopped at home... but didn’t know what the school was giving them.

"laziness and lack of knowing how to cook nutritious meals - knowing how to put ingredients together to make a meal and knowing how to use utensils."

Lazy stereotypes.

The person I know with the skinniest children - serves pasta with jarred tomato sauce three times a week. Her kids are skinny because her food is boring.

My husbands family are all overweight. All his sisters are phenomenal cooks.

I'm (a bit) overweight because I fecking love delicious, well cooked food and eat too much of it. Not because I eat shit food or ready meals.

My children also love good food and like other human beings sometimes eat too much because it tastes lovely and they're a bit greedy. When they were little I controlled their food intake, but they're all teenagers now with minds of their own and don't take kindly to being constantly reminded that they need to cut calories and eat less.

Lack of basic cooking skills
Less physical activity
Kids continually supervised and not playing out
Shit weather leading to an indoor lifestyle
Lack of access to fruit and veg in poorer areas

Sorry that was for minifingerz

Just seen your latest post. Totally agree about the crisps aisle: I remember my first months in the UK, wandering around the aisles of the supermarkets in the evenings thinking "but where is the FOOD"? In the meantime, the tiny corner shop near my parents' house in Sweden sells fresh yeast because naturally people are going to want to bake their own bread. The crisp section is on the minimalistic side.

Not sure it's about supermarkets regulating though; think it's partly about experience of what sells, partly about the fact that supermarket buyers have the same cultural expectations as everybody else.

I also think we are afraid to be hungry, and there’s is a push to constantly snack rather than think hmmm maybe I should be hungry an hour before my main meal?

I always see the children round here going into the chicken and chip shops after school then getting a bus home (no walking anymore since buses are free here) then having a dinner at home! Not hard to see why they are overweight .

Too much snacking. British society pushes the snack almost constantly. Changing bags are stuffed with 'healthy snacks', playgroups have snack time, fruit snacks at school playtime, after school snacks, car journey snacks, bedtime snacks, never mind all the mindless snacking in front of screens. I seemingly can't even pop into a shop to buy a newspaper without giant chocolate bars and the like being practically thrown at me across the counter...

mumifboys Iceland is no different to Waitrose..... they both sell rustlers burgers and frozen pizzas

My theory- parents expected to work. Grandparents look after kids. They're the culprits (my mum secretly feeds my kids chocolate every occasion she gets)

I live in a "posh" area of Paris with lots of private schools etc. I've never seen an overweight child here.

It seems to be much more an issue in less wealthy/privileged areas here in France.

Good food seems to be really important to people here and there are hardly any frozen convenience foods in my local supermarkets.

I guess this might be reflected in the UK? Is it more of an issue in relatively deprived areas?

Well there you go minifingerz your family are overwe7ght because you eat too much which isn't a great mystery really

Poverty
Breakdown of social and community networks
Loss of food culture